google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday February 23, 2020 John-Clark Levin

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Feb 23, 2020

Sunday February 23, 2020 John-Clark Levin

Theme: "Herd Mentality" - Each common phrase is reinterpreted as if one of the words is a collective noun for animals.

23. Ants in the British colonies?: CONTINENTAL ARMY. Army of ants.

37. Fish attending Mass?: CATHOLIC SCHOOL. School of fish.

45. Lions marching event?: PRIDE PARADE. Pride of lions.

63. Whales' sorely lacking veggie supply?: TWO PEAS IN A POD. Pods of whales.
 
80. Wolves from Lower Manhattan?: BATTERY PACK. Pack of wolves.

89. Bats living in an old Chrysler?: PLYMOUTH COLONY. Colony of bats.

106. Crows sailing from Ethiopia to Egypt?: MURDER ON THE NILE. Murder of crows.

This seems to be the first Sunday LAT puzzle for John. He had two weekly puzzles published last year. Congrats, John.

Lots of collective nouns. Some are not workable. Some are not common. John gave us a good set.
 
Across:

1. Small Mercedes sedan: A CLASS. Gimme for Dennis.

7. Golf match equalizer: HANDICAP. Rich Norris, our editor, used to be a scratch golfer.

15. Less risky: SAFER.

20. Lighthearted: BLITHE.

21. Cheerio relative: AU REVOIR. Zai Jian.


22. Yearn for: CRAVE.

25. Drove at Indy: RACED.

26. Tentative agreement: I GUESS SO.

27. Baton Rouge-to-Jackson dir.: NNE.

28. "Great" Russian czar: PETER I.

29. Sun Devils' sch.: ASU.

30. Updike's "Rabbit Redux," e.g.: Abbr.: SEQ. Sequel.

31. Tennis immortal: ASHE.

33. Dull opening?: DEE. Just the starting letter in Dull.

34. Gp. with a three-finger salute: BSA.

35. Listing: ATILT.

41. Baroque painter Guido: RENI. Wiki says he painted "Crucifixion of St. Peter".


42. Elvis sings it in "Blue Hawaii": ALOHA OE.

44. Sarcastic "So sad": BOO HOO.

47. Cataract surgery replacement: LENS.

48. Green-lights: OKS.

50. Edmond __: the Count of Monte Cristo: DANTES. I read that book in Chinese.


51. Large body of eau: MER.

52. Fiscal execs: CFOS.

54. Pope's jurisdiction: HOLY SEE.

57. Reason for a star: HEROISM.

61. Juno, to Socrates: HERA. Roman/Greek.

62. Punk subgenre: EMO.

67. Goof: ERR.

68. Pringles alternative: LAYS.

70. Nestlé candy with a white covering: SNO CAPS.

71. "Shoulda listened to me!": I TOLD YA.

73. Cool, in '90s slang: PHAT.

74. LAPD unit?: LOS. Spelled out.

75. Madame's Spanish counterpart: SENORA.

77. Pale __: ALE.

78. Dilute: THIN.

85. Things to avoid: TABOOS.

87. Rangers' domains: FORESTS.

88. Wild plum: SLOE.

92. Whoopi's role in "The Color Purple": CELIE. Never saw the movie.


93. VCR button: REC.

94. Degree in math: NTH. Did our tax this year with TurboTax. Pretty sleek. Of course, I have a pro in Texas to guide me.

95. Tinged: HUED.

96. Texter's qualifier: IMO.

98. NBC show since 1975: SNL.

99. Gives the slip: EVADES.

101. Be on duty at, as a battle station: MAN.

102. Aids in DNA sequencing research: GENE MAPS.

105. Fathered: SIRED.

110. Orson Scott Card protagonist __ Wiggin: ENDER. "Ender's Game".

111. Documented: ON RECORD.

112. Swimwear fabric: TRICOT. Learning moment for me.

113. Short: TESTY.

114. Closed ecosystems: BIODOMES.

115. Net worth component: ASSETS.

Down:

1. "black-ish" airer: ABC.

2. Symbol of monastic life: CLOISTER.

3. Alfredo __, "Ratatouille" character named for a pasta: LINGUINI. Helpful clue.


4. Alaskan island invaded by Japan in WWII: ATTU.

5. Least likely to mingle: SHIEST.

6. Connotation: SENSE.

7. Brinker on skates: HANS.

8. Start to correct?: AUTO. Autocorrect.

9. Gun lobby org.: NRA.

10. __ Taco: DEL.

11. Scott classic: IVANHOE.

12. "Race Matters" author West: CORNEL. Unfamiliar to me.


13. Lyon lover's word: AIME.

14. Ask invasively: PRY.

15. Certain owl's howl: SCREECH.

16. "How now? __?": Hamlet: A RAT.

17. News source for millions: FACEBOOK FEED. Lots of great fill in this puzzle.

18. "Be it __ humble ... ": song lyric: EVER SO.

19. Phone button: REDIAL.

24. Law firm abbr.: ESQ.

28. Baja bar tender?: PESOS. Nice clue.

29. __ The Magazine: AARP. Soon they'll send me letters.

31. Just barely: A TAD.

32. Oxford, but not Cambridge: SHOE.

33. Mousetrap brand: D-CON.

36. 1970s Plumber: LIDDY. G. Gordon Liddy.


37. Exercise target: CORE.

38. Shouts of discovery: AHAS.

39. Madrid-based airline: IBERIA.

40. Moonshine: HOOCH.

42. Reuters apps alternative: AP NEWS.

43. Tardy with: LATE ON.

46. Down __: Maine nickname: EAST.

47. Writer Uris: LEON.

49. "My bad": SORRY.

51. ER scans: MRIS.

53. "Love Song" singer Bareilles: SARA.

54. Beatles album with a bang: HELP.

55. The Wizard of Oz's hometown: OMAHA. Really? I don't remember Omaha mentioned in the movie.

56. Rewards for regulars: LOYALTY CARDS. Does any of you have the Target RedCard?

57. Lukas of "Witness": HAAS.

58. Debatable "gift": ESP.

59. Small piano: SPINET.

60. General __: MOTORS. Hope Hyundai Santa Fe has big leg room. The Ford Escape was tough for Boomer to get in and out.

64. Refinement: POLISH.

65. Aspiring MBA's major: ECON.

66. Fishing boat: DORY.

69. Boiling sign: STEAM.

72. What a subscription renewal prevents: LAPSE.

75. WWII weapon: STEN.

76. Crafts website: ETSY.

78. Hypes: TOUTS.

79. Frozen planet in "The Empire Strikes Back": HOTH. Another learning moment for me.


80. Tree trunk: BOLE.

81. J.Lo's fiancé: A-ROD.

82. Pumpkin pie seasoning: ALL-SPICE.

83. Vending machine feature: COIN SLOT.

84. Underwater projection: KEEL.

86. Not even moist: BONE-DRY.

87. Based: FOUNDED.

89. Car radio button: PRESET.

90. Adam of Maroon 5: LEVINE.

91. Mexican horseman: CHARRO. Read more here. Mexican cowboy.

92. Rising stars: COMERS.

96. QB's pass to a CB, say: INT.

97. L.A. Philharmonic Conductor Emeritus: MEHTA (Zubin)

100. Tick-ing bomb?: DEET.

101. City bond, briefly: MUNI.

102. "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power" author: GORE.

103. Results: ENDS.

104. Spanish cordial: ANIS.

106. Rabble: MOB.

107. "The Name of the Rose" author: ECO.

108. __-com: ROM.

109. Presumed UFO crew: ETS.

Happy 81st birthday to dear Keith Fowler (Ol' Man Keith), the longest-living Fowler on record.
 

The 43rd American Crossword Puzzle Tournament (March 20-22, 2020) will be held at the Stamford Marriott in Stamford, Connecticut. 

Time to reserve your Cru Dinner again. As I mentioned before, the Cru Dinner officially kicks off the tournament and is a great opportunity to meet with constructors and fellow solvers. Will Shortz stopped by last year. The space is limited, so be sure to contact with Mike Alpern as soon as possible. Mike's email address is: alpernm@aol.com

More details can be found here.

Cru Dinner Celebrities, Will Shortz and Mike Alpern
 
Jeffrey Wechsler and Mike Alpern, ACPT, 3/23/2019
 

37 comments:

OwenKL said...

George went off to fight a war
With his CONTINENTAL ARMY!
Loyalist friends were not so sure,
They thought he was barmy!
He lost some battles, some he won
But when at last the fight was done
Our nation new he did secure
With his CONTINENTAL ARMY!

(Can you guess I watched the History Channel miniseries on Washington this past week?)

With colors flying, the PRIDE PARADE
Saw some drag queens promenade
But most were just
In normal dress,
To look bizarre they did not CRAVE
(And thus eschewed outre façade).

Lemonade714 said...

This appears to be Mr. Levin's solo debut, but he has 7 prior publications in collaboration with Jeff Chen. Three are 21x21 puzzles.

A fun theme and I appreciate the comprehensive list of animal group, C.C. More unknowns than most Sundays, like Baroque painter Guido: RENI; Oxford, but not Cambridge: SHOE (very fun clue/fill) ; "Love Song" singer Bareilles: SARA and "Race Matters" author West: CORNEL.

It has been almost 60 years since Elvis sang ALOHA EH .

If you watch the movie you have a big hint where the Wizard comes from THE WAY HOME .

Thank you John-Clark and C.C.

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Nope. My WAG sense was severely lacking this morning. I had NCLASS/NBC and LEVILE/ELDER. No help from my ink pen. Bzzzzzt! DNF. Also don't know what a CB is (except as a radio) and tried LAT until INT became obvious. Thanx, John-Clark and C.C.

Wizard's hometown: I couldn't get Lemonade's link to work. I think it might have been something like this.

BSA: I'm more familiar with the one-finger salute.

HBD, OMK.

BobB said...

Slogged through in 54 minutes, ashamed of myself.ಠ_ಠ

Linkster said...

The Wizard of Oz's Home Town escaped me for a while until I remembered his balloon at the end of the film with the answer festooned in glorious font - OMAHA.

Big Easy said...

Good morning. D-Otto, don't feel bad. It drives me nuts when I have to guess on 1A & 1D. I've had three Mercedes; two S-class and one M-class. I thought C-class was their small sedan but the CBC for the unknown TV show-black-ish- just didn't seem right. So I guessed ABC and A-Class and finished it.

I had trouble getting the theme fills and finally cracked it with the PLYMOUTH COLONY. That allowed filling the unknowns with perps. DANTES, HERA, CELIE, ENDER Wiggin, TRICOT, LINGUINI, CORNEL West, SARA Bareilles, Lukas HAAS, HOTH, ANIS. OMAHA was a lucky WAG as I thought it might refer to Warren Buffet. But it's not far from Kansas.

Uh oh. The Russians are coming. I find it hard to believe that anybody with more than one brain cell would get their news from a FACEBOOK FEED.

I'll go ON RECORD; A&E fills are usually filled by perps. I don't watch any television shows and rarely watch a movie.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-Theme was helpful and as pleasant as today’s sunny, windless 60˚F day
-Golf Partner, “I TOLD YA, ya shoulda taken the SAFER shot around the lake”
-AHA! This innovation allowed Ray Harroun to win the first Indy 500
-The HOLY SEE and BSA are facing bankruptcy due to similar behaviors
-Statements formerly made ON THE RECORD are now problems for candidates
-Do you remember a plumber named Josephine from the 60’s?
-NASCAR was started by men who carried HOOCH in fast cars to avoid sheriffs
-OMAHA State Fair was on the Wizard’s balloon but the state fair left there in 1901
-WATT’s use of STEAM helped start the Industrial Revolution

NaomiZ said...

Another Sunday fun day! I didn't know the island of ATTU, and was looking for a fancy word for "tentative agreement." The three S's looked wrong until I came up with "I guess so," and FIR. Thanks, Mr. Levin and C.C.!

Misty said...

Sunday puzzles are toughies for me (like Saturday ones), but often fun, like this one--many thanks, John-Clark. I did get started in all the smaller corners, and filled in chunks here and there. My favorite clue, when I got it, was the Oxford SHOE--made me laugh. Also liked FACEBOOK FEED. And what a great weekend, to have a C.C. Saturday puzzle, Sunday commentary, and a Boomer Monday to look forward to--many thanks, C.C.

Great picture, Ol'Man Keith--and have a wonderful birthday!

Hungry Mother said...

A bit sloggish, but very nice solve. I appreciated a mention of cataract surgery after getting my second eye done last week, with a Toric LENS replacement. Easy and useful theme. More names than I like, but I prefer none.

Steve Schweiger said...

Another fun puzzle! For me mostly a grind. Had to get my wife, Spanish speaker, to get me Anis. She also aided in Tricot and Allspice of all things. Had CBS for "blackish" airer until Continental Army, then ABC, DUH! "Murder" as a collective noun for a group of crows was new to me, but i'm an Agatha Christie fan so enough crosses popped that clue.

Ol' Man Keith said...

Thank you, C.C., for the birthday greeting--and for posting my head shot. You're very kind for remembering!

And Misty, thanks for the compliment on my pic.
That photo was taken in front of the "Shakespeare section" of my garden. You can just make out the Black-Eyed Susans on the wall behind me, in honor of Ol' Will's daughter, Susannah ...
~ OMK

Picard said...

FIW with bCLASS/bBC which seemed just as good to me. Too bad, because I enjoyed the theme and the rest of the solve. Yes it was a challenge. LEVINE/ENDER a lucky Natick WAG. When I first moved to California I did a training for the LAPD on an instrument we were making.

I met CORNELL WEST about ten years ago and was impressed with his passion, intelligence and kindness. For some reason I am not finding any photos.

Here I was at perhaps the most famous BIODOME in the world.

It is called Biosphere 2. Biosphere 1 is the world we live in. I was at a convention with the University of Arizona. I was so thrilled to have a chance to tour this facility that is managed by the University of Arizona. Do other people know about this place?

Here I photographed the site of Mr LIDDY's crimes.

Clever clue for that one!

Wendybird said...

Very fun puzzle, although the SW corner gave me fits. I even had ELMER until it became ENDER after I figured out Loyalty CARDS. Favorite clue was ATILT - nice misdirection.

I find the names for groups of animals fascinating, my favorite being an Exaltation of Larks. James Lipton wrote a little book which contains many others.


As a child, I read about 12 of the Wizard of Oz books and loved them.

Thank you John-clarke and C.C.

Picard said...

From Yesterday:
Wilbur Charles thanks for explaining IRA with regard to Sammy CAHN and Thoroughly Modern Millie.

AnonT, Jayce and CanadianEh thanks for your honest feelings about CRAGs!

AnonT: Here we were on that CRAG at Glacier Point in Yosemite!

There was a bit of a line of people to be photographed on that famous CRAG!

Jayce said...

Man oh man, it took me an hour and 12 minutes to finish this monster. For some reason it was very hard for me. I Naticked out at the crossing of LEVI-E and E-DER, where I wrote in the letter L (hi there, desper-otto). So even after I filled the whole thing the clock didn't stop, so I knew something somewhere was wrong. I had to turn on "check grid" to reveal that red L; in hindsight I remember Adam LEVINE but still did not recognize ENDER. I learned the pumpkin pie seasoning was not CINNAMON and the small Mercedes Benz was not CCLASS. I liked some of the clues and answers, such as the clue for SHOE (hi, misty), but I can't say I enjoyed this puzzle over all.

Speaking of small cars and legroom, I'm not surprised Boomer had a tough time getting in and out of the Ford Escape. In fact, so did I. The Escape is categorized as a "compact" vehicle. The Santa Fe is officially a "midsize" vehicle. I can't say whether Boomer would be able to get in and out of it easily; I have not personally tried it out. I do know from personal experience that I had no trouble at all getting in and out of a Subaru Outback. It is very roomy and also has excellent visibility. Although our DIL's car is a Honda CR-V, a compact, I was very pleasantly surprised to find it was very easy for me to get in and out of. It's a lot roomier inside than it looks.

Happy birthday, Ol'Man Keith! And good wishes to you all.

Jayce said...

Picard, yes, I know of the Biosphere 2 in Oracle, Arizona. When my mother was still alive and living in Tucson, we visited there. We did not go inside, because it was in the early 1990's, when it was actually in use.

Abejo said...

Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, John-Clark Levin, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, C.C., for a fine review.

Puzzle went slowly today. Theme theme eluded me forever. Finally got it with TWO PEAS IN A POD. Very clever construction.

Liked KEEL for 84D.

Lots of names that made this tough. Perps and wags all the way.

Tried GAUCHO before CHARRO worked much better.

Remembered ATTU. We get that one now and then.

TRICOT was totally unknown. Perps.

Anyhow, have to run. See you tomorrow.

Abejo

( )

Anonymous T said...

Sunday Lurk Say...

Just stopping by to wish OMK a very Happy Birthday. A toast!

Cheers, -T

Bill G said...

Hi everybody.

Jayce wrote: "For some reason it was very hard for me."

As usual, I agree with Jayce. I finished the puzzle but the theme just didn't make sense to me; something about the relationship between the clue and the answer? Dunno...

PK said...

Happy Birthday, Keith!

JCLevin's work was out of my wave length, but managed to finish. Thanks, for the challenge. Thank you, C.C., for continuing to guide our way.

Past two weeks have been a real trial. My brother died and the next week I had a ride to the ER with a nasty gusher of a 4-hr. nosebleed. When I started to shake uncontrollably, I thought I was going into shock and called 911. EMT's said my bathroom looked like a big animal had been slaughtered in there and guessed I'd lost at least 12 oz. of blood. They gave me some kind of shot, did an EKG and hauled me away in the ambulance. ER DR didn't see the gore and wasn't as impressed, but was nice to me. Only thing he could see was dry nasal passage (all blood had leaked out by then, man) and high blood pressure.

CanadianEh! said...

Super Sunday. Thanks for the fun, John-Clark and C.C.
I finished with a few red letter helps and saw the theme. (Bill G - In each themer there is the name that is used for that particular group of animals - colony, pod, pack, pride, army, school, murder (that is the less familiar one*). Thus the title of Herd Mentality.)
My favourites were TWO PEAS IN A POD and PRIDE PARADE.
*Prescience of the blog - On February 13, 2020 at 11:45 AM, Ray - O - Sunshine said...
Interesting that a flock of crows is called a murder.

The NW Corner was the last to fill. A CLASS did not come to mind and this Canadian could not decide between all your American networks. Alphabet run gave ABC.
I was misdirected by Cheerio and was thinking of breakfast cereal. (Rice Krispie and Froot Loop did not fit.)
Listing brought to mind real estate. Oh, one of those A words was needed. ATILT
I thought of Ivan the Great before Peter. (And I needed a Roman Numeral! Ivan was III)

I didn't remember ALOHA OE (LOL, I see that Lemonade has Canadianized Elvis with ALOHA EH)
I wanted LOYALTY Points not CARDS. (No Target Red card for this Canadian)

My pumpkin pie recipe has cinnamon and mace. Allspice does contain all the flavors of cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon combined - in one single berry.

Happy Birthday OMK!

PK- So sorry to hear of your trials recently (I had missed your posts). My sympathy in the loss of your brother, and hope you have no more nosebleeds (did they suggest Secaris nasal gel, humidifier in your room?)

Wishing you all a good evening.

CrossEyedDave said...

DNF,
Way too many things I just didn't Grok,
Case in point, 54D, Beatles album with a bang?
(I don't get it...)

HBD OMK!
(just "act" like it has your name on it...)

9mileSkid said...

Thanks to C. C. and John-Clark for a challenging puzzle and great walk-through, and happy birthday OMK!

Sorry to hear about your loss and recent ER visit, PK. My wife gets horrific nosebleeds, but they don't last 4 hours. I was a paramedic in LA a long time ago and encountered a serious bleed like yours once. We administered lidocaine and epinephrine to stem the flow, but those two meds can increase blood pressure - that might have had something to do with your secondary symptom. And your secondary symptom may have had something to do with your primary, as well.

I was another who went over an hour solving this one. Interestingly, I solve on paper first and then a little later go back and fill in the puzzle online. The last square on paper AND online was the M in COMERS and GENEMAPS in the SE quad. I didn't really have either word readily available in my vocab and apparently, neither got nailed in the first time through. :-)

I did enjoy the theme as it dealt with the names for groups of individuals of a certain species, one of my favorite things to know. Murders, pods, schools, colonies, I love the descriptiveness of some of the terms.

Husker Gary said...

Addendum
-All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages. What act of your life have you entered at this age, my Friend? HBD!
-PK, What a tale! I hope you are back to normal very soon!

Arnold said...

Although I do not comment, I visit this blog regularly after completing the daily puzzle. I have noticed that Irish Miss hasn't posted in many days. She is my favorite blogger because I often relate to her observations. Do any of you regular bloggers know if she is okay? Thank you.

PK said...

Thank you, CanadianEh, 9mileskid, & Husker for your kind words. I have never heard of Secaris, CE, will have to see. Am glad to know what the EMT's probably injected, 9MS. It did the job. I had never had high blood pressure before that I know of. It is so difficult to get in to see a doctor in this city. My son finally was able to get me in to see a doctor after much phoning around. The one to whom I was referred wasn't taking new patients. I am to see the DR tomorrow, over a week after my big scare. Scared my kids more, I think -- especially the darling son who cleaned the bathroom.

Picard said...

Keith Happy Birthday!

CrossEyedDave the Beatles Album HELP! has an exclamation point which is sometimes called a "bang".

Here is the original British HELP! album cover with a BANG.

I had always heard that they were spelling out H-E-L-P with semaphore signals. Apparently that is not true. They are random letters that made for a good photo.

PK sorry to hear of the loss of your brother and of so much blood. If it is any consolation I lost a bit more blood than that at the Bloodmobile a few weeks ago! It should come back in a day or so. Eat some salty pretzels and drink water to feel better.

PK before your mishaps you were asking about TED TALKS which come up in the puzzles. Are you able to Google "TED TALKS"? You should be able to watch them free on whatever device you are using for this blog. Does it work for you?

Jayce glad you know of the Biosphere 2 BIODOME. When we were on the tour they claimed it in use now, too. They say they are doing climate crisis research.

Ron in LA said...

Where is the completed puzzle ?

inanehiker said...

Very full day - just got around to the puzzle -

Not much to add but
Happy birthday Keith!
and
Thanks to CC and John-Clark!

Wilbur Charles said...

I have a version of Ivanhoe where BBdeG* is the hero and Garth, Wamba, Gurth and finally, Athelstan are heroic. Wifred is a shadowy character, never actually seen. Their nemeses need no revision especially the aptly named "Front de Boeuf".

Liddy was in Dallas that day(along with RMN**)
Hbd, Keith. Great pic.

Wow, 75mph. If one drove that speed on I75 on the outside lane he'd invite serious road rage(a mere 5 over limit .

Picard, thanks for biodome pics. Homesteaders are going that way. And. Make that one of Gordon's crimes. And.
Thanks for explaining "Bang-!". Beatles are my Sirius go-to…

PK, glad you're ok now and prayers for your brother.

WC

Owen, great poem using a different format: ABCBDDCB?


*Brian Bois de Gilbert who swore off love then finds the jewess Rebecca. Thackery had a sequel: Rebecca and Rowena.
**Who denied it!!!

Wilbur Charles said...

I have a version of Ivanhoe where BBdeG* is the hero and Garth, Wamba, Gurth and finally, Athelstan are heroic. Wifred is a shadowy character, never actually seen. Their nemeses need no revision especially the aptly named "Front de Boeuf".

Liddy was in Dallas that day(along with RMN**)
Hbd, Keith. Great pic.

Wow, 75mph. If one drove that speed on I75 on the outside lane he'd invite serious road rage(a mere 5 over limit .

Picard, thanks for biodome pics. Homesteaders are going that way. And. Make that one of Gordon's crimes. And.
Thanks for explaining "Bang-!". Beatles are my Sirius go-to…

PK, glad you're ok now and prayers for your brother.

WC

Owen, great poem using a different format: ABCBDDCB?


*Brian Bois de Gilbert who swore off love then finds the jewess Rebecca. Thackery had a sequel: Rebecca and Rowena.
**Who denied it!!!

Ol' Man Keith said...

Signing on again to thank desper-otto, Jayce, Misty, CanadianEh!, PK, 9mileSkid, Anonymous T, CrossEyed Dave, inanehiker, Picard, Wilbur Charles, and ALL who took the time to send me birthday greetings.

And let me express my gratitude once more to dear C.C., our wonderful creator and site hostess--as well as chief archivist of our cruciverbal lives.

It is sweet of you all to post such kind words.

Much appreciated,
~ OMK

CanadianEh! said...

Yes Arnold, I have missed Irish Miss too.

OwenKL said...

Wilbur -- sort of a super-limerick. War, sure, secure are all loose rhymes, so the scheme is (AB)(AB)CC(AB).

The second poem* had an unconventional scheme, too, since parade, promenade, and façade are eye-rhymes but ear-rhymes, so I plugged in the puzzle word CRAVE, but liked my original final line too much to delete it, so left it as a parenthetical coda.

Promenade is an oddity. I would pronounce the noun to rhyme with façade, and the verb to rhyme with parade. But the online dictionaries I checked, if they differentiated at all, gave one as British and the other as American.

*To save you scrolling back:
With colors flying, the PRIDE PARADE
Saw some drag queens promenade
But most were just
In normal dress,
To look bizarre they did not CRAVE
(And thus eschewed outre façade).

Ol' Man Keith said...

Love it, Owen, but I think you have a better chance pronouncing "façade" to go with "parade."
In the "stuff-it-Frenchie" Yankee manner...
~ OMK

Spitzboov said...

PK - Deepest sympathy on the loss of your brother.